A typical mobile strategy is to release a really great foundation of a game (usually a runner), to get people talking and push it to the top of the charts. Then, start monetizing the hell out of it, gradually adding in new stages and mechanics. As it turns out Nintendo isn’t doing any of that forSuper Mario Run. What you see is what you get.
Depending on who you talk to,Mario Runis either a success story (beating outPokemon Go‘s first-day sales), or a failure that shook the confidence of investors (it doesn’t seem to have a long tail). While making millions on a relatively small mobile budget is definitely not a “failure” per se, I’m not sure they’re going to make as much as they would have given that there’s just a single “$10, one and done” purchase.
Now, I’m not suggesting that theyaddmicrotransactions (I love the “buyout option” and wish more games had it), but according to the Wall Street Journal,nothing else is being added, ever. According to a Nintendo spokesperson, “the company didn’t plan to release additional content, either free or paid.”
Having beaten the game and almost acquired all of the black coins, I’m at a loss as to what I should be playing for in the weeks to come. Grinding Toad Rally is mostly fine (even with some randomness to it), but I’ve gotten most of the structures and characters already, and eventually, I’ll get bored of the worldbuilding element. The ceiling could have been so much higher in terms of replay value, but it’s just not there unless you love time trials and leaderboards.
With that mentality in mind, I’m wondering how long people will play this before it goes the way ofMiitomo. Or alternatively, if investors will insist on adding predatory microtransactions to the rest of their upcoming mobile lineup.
